


In Your Heart

by PinkTea



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: M/M, Multi, No Despair AU, keebo has too many feelings, ouma lies his way into a job, saihara is a florist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 14:58:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13813590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkTea/pseuds/PinkTea
Summary: Saihara noticed Ouma's presence, stepping to the side to get a better view of him. “Oh, hi. Are you here with Keebo?” The robot turned to look at the shorter boy, shooting him a glance that screamed 'don't do anything weird'. Ouma got the message, but didn't necessarily plan on heeding it.





	In Your Heart

Kokichi Ouma was a fraud, a jerk, and a thief- but before that, he was an excellent liar.

“I'm so happy you picked me for the position, Professor! It's a dream come true!” His voice was chipper and excited, eyes gleaming with appreciation as he shook the man's hand. “I've always wanted to learn more about robotics!”

Professor Idabashi smiled back, clearly happy with his new employee. “Well, I'm just glad to find somebody so enthusiastic about the job! I'm very picky about who I allow in my lab, but you seem up to our standards.”

Standards, who? Ouma? Never!

It was hard to not burst into laughter right then, but keeping up a facade was the young supreme leader's specialty. “Thank you so much! Where should I put my stuff?” Ouma gestured to the backpack hanging from his shoulder, and Professor Idabashi stepped into the lab to allow him in.

“You'll be staying in our available guest room. It's right down the hallway on your left. I have one other employee who lives across from you- she can be a bit noisy, but she'll settle down if you ask.”

Ouma was hardly listening, too busy scoping out the laboratory. It was fairly large, but it wasn't especially fantastical- to be honest, it needed a lot of cleaning. He wasn't too tidy himself, so he figured he'd fit in anyway, and cleaning up could earn him some bonus points with the professor if he found the time. Alongside the expensive-looking machinery and computers, there were obvious signs of this place being lived in. Empty coffee cups and crumpled pieces of paper were everywhere, along with... a lot of plants?

Flower vases balanced precariously on top of layers of other items, which meant that at least it smelled nice. Some of the plants were older and beginning to wilt, while others appeared to be freshly-bought, petals bright and healthy. The overall taste of the place was weird and mismatched, but it wasn't terrible.

The downside was that nothing in here was small enough for him to shove in his pockets and steal. He wasn't here for this garbage anyway, he had his eye on something in particular.

The real reason he'd used a totally-fake resume to apply to work and live here was specific and devious.

The professor was well-known for having money and resources granted to him. A few years back, he'd apparently created something incredibly valuable and one-of-a-kind. It was a power source of some sort, capable of absurd things as long as it was kept recharged. Exactly what it looked like or did was something kept under wraps, but Ouma had still managed to hear of it and didn't waste time in beginning the hunt. Whether it was hard or easy, he wasn't going to pass up an opportunity like this, especially not in his situation.

He cracked open the door to the room he'd be staying in, finding it to be the cleanest thing he'd yet seen in the building. Pristine white sheets draped over a single-person bed, the walls plain and white and the windows making it almost painfully bright. Well, he wasn't planning on staying here for very long, but there was no way it was going to stay tidy. Ouma could already picture the comfortable piles of empty Panta bottles and scribbled memos. Yeah, he could work with this.

He let his backpack fall onto the bed, not planning on unpacking yet. Before he could relax, he had to make sure everything was good with the professor. Although the opinions of others have little meaning to him, he's not going to get fired after putting in all the effort into getting here.

“Hey Prof, have you seen my notebook? The red one? I fuckin'-”

A brash voice sounded out as the door across the hall from Kokichi's swung open and hit the wall, but abruptly stopped. The boy looked over his shoulder, meeting eyes with a girl with goggles perched on her forehead.

“Who the fuck are you? Some tiny freak tryin' to snatch my panties?”

Oh, christ. Ouma could already tell what an annoyance this chick was going to be.

“Uh, hello to you too?” Ouma replied blandly as she stomped up to him in her pink socks, a grin spreading across her face. She held out her hand and the boy was momentarily lost as to what she wanted.

“Just kiddin', I know you're the new guy. I'm the busty, beautiful girl genius, Miu Iruma! But you can still try the panty-snatching thing, I know I'm totally irresistible. I'll even sign em for ya if you get on my good side!”

Ouma didn't take the time to make sure the professor was out of earshot. Now this was a confrontation he was going to handle _his_ way. Without any further hesitation he grabbed Miu's hand and gave it a shake that felt almost intimidating, giving her the brightest smile in his arsenal. “Wow! I'm Kokichi Ouma! I didn't expect to see a whore in a lab like this! Are you one of Idabashi's experiments?”

The jolt that went through Miu's frame was jarring, her face immediately flinching and eyes going wide. Ouma didn't let go of her hand for a moment longer, finally releasing her and never dropping his grin. It was funny how her bravado fell away in a split second to reveal something meek and significantly sweatier.

“Uh- huh- what?” She stuttered, and Idabashi peeked his head into the room at the commotion. His instant smile assured Ouma that the professor didn't hear what he'd said, and he responded with a smile of his own.

“Hey, Professor Idabashi! I was just making friends with Miss Iruma here, she came to welcome me! Isn't that nice of her?” Ouma beamed and Iruma looked a bit startled, blinking rapidly.

“Uh? Y-yeah,” she muttered, pulling herself together and adjusting her outfit. “I've gotta do... stuff now, soooo...” Without waiting for permission from her superior, she turned and returned to her room, shutting the door behind her. She didn't go looking for that notebook of hers.

Idabashi watched her go before turning to Ouma again, not noticing her mood. “I hope you two can be good friends. She can be... well, a lot, but she's an excellent young prodigy.”

Why were prodigies always such complete freaks? Ouma smiled anyway, nodding. “I'm excited to get to know her and the neighborhood, professor. I'll do my best!” He rocked on his heels, hands clasped in front of him innocently.

Idabashi pushed his glasses up, taking a quick peek at his golden watch. “Ah, I'm sorry to leave so soon after you've just arrived, but I have to catch my flight soon... I'll introduce you to Keebo and then take my leave. I'm sure you can handle things here, you seem to be a quick learner.”

Ouma's brows quirked, lips forming a tiny 'o'. “Keebo?” he repeated, curiosity written on his face. The professor looked back down at him, face lighting up again.

“Yes, Keebo! He's the robot you're here to look after.” Hardly waiting, he gestured for Ouma to follow him and started back down the hallway. “Keebo is very responsible. As much as I trust him, though, he can be very sensitive. Miu can easily handle his maintenance, but she spends a lot of time absorbed into her work. Lately she's been working on a virtual reality system and I don't want to trouble her too much! She is here to better herself in her work, after all,” he was prideful over Miu as if she were his own daughter, and Ouma silently wondered if she was worth being proud of at all with a personality like _that_. Ouma didn't have much room to judge, though, given his own nasty self. “Keebo's quarters are here,” the professor announced as they arrived at another door, just as bland as the others.

The man lifted his fist, gently knocking on the door and leaning close to it to say, “Keebo, come meet our guest!”

The professor was knocking... for a robot? Really? He had to be kooky to do something like that, Jesus. The edge of Ouma's mouth twitched, tempted to give a mocking grin, but he held back as the door politely opened.

Blue lenses lingered on the professor for only a moment before turning to Kokichi, blinking as they took him in. A shockingly human smile spread across the robot's face. “Hello! I am K1-B0, but you may call me Keebo!”

Robotics and science stuff had absolutely no meaning to Ouma, but he knew advanced technology when he saw it. If it weren't for the dark lines running from his eyes, he could've mistaken this hunk of metal for a living human being. Never before had he seen a robot, on TV or otherwise, with such an emotive face.

Ouma didn't allow himself to be distracted by it any longer, tearing his eyes away to take a brief glance into the room the robot had come from. He couldn't see much past the professor and Keebo in his way, but it seemed to be... well, mostly empty, if not for all the flowers. Again, with the flowers. Was Professor Idabashi trying his hand at botany or something? In any case, he didn't see anything that looked like what he was searching for.

Returning his gaze to Keebo, he grinned, eyes sparkling. “Wow! Hi, Keebo! I've never met a super cool robot like you before. I'm Kokichi Ouma, let's be best friends, okay?”

It was funny how easily the robot bought it, and his polite smile turned more genuine. “Oh! Well, I am rather 'cool', hm?” He puffed up pridefully, standing at his full height, which was honestly rather short. Apparently, robots could be programmed to have an ego. “I look forward to getting to know you. Please teach me more about human interaction!”

Well, that couldn't have gone much better. Obviously Keebo was no wiser than Idabashi about the sincerity of others, so Ouma had absolutely nothing to worry about. This would be too easy for somebody as slimy as him.

The professor was clearly satisfied, patting Ouma on the back cheerfully. “Great! You're already familiar with your duties, right?”

Turning to look up at Idabashi, he pretended to take things seriously for a moment. “Yup. I just need to make sure everything is okay with Keebo while you're gone, and call you if anything happens.” Ouma was super tempted to refer to himself as Keebo's 'robo-sitter', but he didn't want to tease while the professor was still standing right there.

“Exactly! Remember, I'm leaving you enough money to take care of yourself, so don't be afraid to spend money. Feel free to eat anything you find in the fridge and restock as you see fit. You're also free to do whatever you'd like while Keebo is charging or wants alone time, so it's not a high-stress job.”

This guy was pretty wacky to think an object needed a babysitter, but Kokichi wasn't about to complain. “Yeah! I'll make sure Miss Iruma eats, too- free of charge!”

His words went over well, and Idabashi handed him a set of keys. By looking at them, he could tell he now had access to just about every room in the laboratory. It was all he could do to keep himself from grinning like a lunatic.

Ouma's domain now, motherfucker.

* * *

Almost immediately after hugging the professor goodbye and seeing him off, Keebo scrambled back to his room and insisted Ouma wait a moment. He did, and the robot returned after a few minutes, an oversized hat on his head and a long coat on. It wasn't very cold at all, and the coat bulged, hardly able to contain Keebo's bulky metal armor.

Keebo announced that he was going someplace and invited Ouma along with him. The boy presumed that he wouldn't exactly be doing his job if he declined, so he tagged along, practically on the bots heels as they walked.

“What's with the outfit?” Ouma asked casually as he peered at everything they passed, scoping out the neighborhood. It wasn't a big city, but it wasn't too small either. It was much less crowded than the city he'd come from, and it was a bit of a relief.

“Well, Ouma,” Keebo began, his voice taking on a bit of a lecturing tone. “Since I am a robot, it's only natural that I'd attract attention- especially being the sort of advanced technology I am.” He was definitely bragging. Could robots gloat? Apparently so. “I am not ashamed of what I am, but also do not want to be overwhelmed every time I leave the lab. So, I bundle up.”

Well, that made enough sense. Ouma decided this was a good of a time as any to ask questions he'd definitely be asking at some point, anyway. He turned, casually walking backwards to get a better look at Keebo while they talked. “Can you shoot lasers? Do they come out of your hands, or your eyes?”

This obviously struck the robot poorly, and he pulled a face like somebody who had eaten something sour. His eyes narrowed as he replied, “Excuse me? Ouma, that question could be considered robophobic.”

It was impossible to hide the impish smile that leapt onto Kokichi's face. Oh boy. _Robophobic_? What the hell does _that_ mean? This guy definitely wasn't going to be boring. “Whaaat? I'm just curious, I mean, I've never met a cool sci-fi creature like you!” The next face Keebo pulled was definitely an indicator that this wasn't exactly a welcome comment either, despite the attempted compliment. Ouma didn't much care either way, continuing to his heart's content. “C'mon, answer my question! Can you fire lasers?”

With a huff of disapproval, Keebo chose to respond despite refusing to make eye contact any longer. “No, I don't possess that function, Ouma. I'm a robot, not a television character. You would be wise to learn the difference.”

Folding his arms behind his head casually, Ouma's smile never faltered. This sort of interaction was way better than the shit he was pulling with the professor. Acting like the boss around here was his first step to feeling at home. “Aww, what a bummer. I was hoping you'd be able to fly me around on your shoulders and wreck the whole city, Godzilla-style.”

Keebo looked more upset by the second, although it mostly just looked adorable on his overtly-pleasant facial design. “Ouma, _no_! I do not possess a flying function, either! Also, I fail to see how an attacking robot is even vaguely similar to the Godzilla franchise!”

Kokichi pretended to pout, clasping his cheeks in his hands. “What? Really? Then what sort of functions _do_ you have?” He appeared to be deep in thought before busting out his award-winning smile again. “Kee-boy, do you have a dick?”

The robot immediately stumbled, struggling to regain his footing as he blinked furiously, red-faced. Evidently, yes, this robot could blush, for some reason. “What? _What_? _Ouma,_ what exactly do you think I was made for?!” Keebo's voice had raised to such a high pitch that Ouma wondered if his voice box was glitching out.

God, this was just too good. The way he shouted Ouma's name in shock was one of the most golden things Kokichi had ever had the pleasure of hearing. He busted out laughing, a skip in his step as he continued bugging Keebo to the best of his ability. “What's the big deal? You got a fleshlight down there instead?”

“Ouma?! _No!_ ”

The extent at which Keebo was suddenly questioning his father's decision in employees was absolutely hilarious. Yeah, the old man probably didn't have the best judgment of character, but it was to Ouma's benefit. A flustered Keebo was probably worth hours of entertainment.

“Relaaaax! I'm just kidding with ya!” He reached up to give Keebo a playful pat on the back, and his fingers brushed against Keebo's exposed metal neck.

“ _Fuck_! Ouch!” Ouma sputtered in surprise as his fingers received a shock of static electricity from the contact, pulling his hand back. It wasn't painful, but he wasn't expecting it. He absolutely didn't miss what it did to his robotic companion, though.

Keebo froze, shoulders shooting up protectively as he seemed to almost crumple, the strangest of sounds coming out of him, “N- _nnhh_ -!” That sort of groan wasn't typical with surprise, was it? His head turned to look at Ouma, the strangest of bewildered expressions on his face. It was ridiculously, absurdly red at that point.

The hesitation was only momentary as he pretended to clear his throat, holding his jacket tightly shut as he power-walked ahead of Kokichi. “C-come on! I'm late for s-something!”

Ouma was silent in awe for a moment, before dashing to catch up with Keebo, his grin on par with a madman's. “Holy shit, Keebo! Did you just robo-nut?”

* * *

Eventually, Keebo came to a slow, re-adjusting his hat and coat. Ouma had stopped drilling him with questions, bored of not receiving answers to his teasing. He had to be a bit more bearable where there were witnesses of his tomfoolery, anyway. Ouma stood at Keebo's side, watching him take a deep breath that seemed almost nervous as he stared at the door to a small flower shop. Why would a robot need to take a deep breath? It was probably a psychological thing.

Keebo turned, looking down at Ouma with a stern look. “Listen, Ouma... I'm starting to get an idea of... how you are. But please, I beg of you. Don't cause trouble while we're _here_ , okay? This is very important to me and I need your cooperation.” He looked tempted to make Ouma stay outside, but that wasn't really up to him and he knew it.

The short boy shrugged, smiling innocently. “Yeah, of course. What kind of person do you think I am, Kee-boy? Just look at me. I'm an angel on Earth.” He clasped his hands together for emphasis, tilting his head to the side and batting his eyelashes.

Totally unimpressed, Keebo studied him for a moment. “...and don't bother the boy who works here. Ever.” With that final instruction, he tugged his hat a little and pushed open the doors to the shop, Kokichi on his heels.

The bell chimed above them, a pleasant aroma filling the air. Natural light flooded the room through the wide windows, colorful plants soaking up the warm rays. It was a little too humid for Ouma's liking, but he figured he wouldn't be there very long anyway.

“Oh, Keebo!” a soft voice exclaimed, and Ouma's attention followed it.

A boy around his own age stood near a display of flowers, still holding a bouquet in his hands while he organized them. His smile was warm and his eyes golden, shining even under the baseball cap he had on. His clothes were dark and bland, but his apron and name tag let Ouma know that he was an employee here.

“G-good afternoon, Saihara!” Keebo returned, and Ouma didn't miss the way his expression lit up as soon as he saw him. He walked over to the stranger, fidgeting his index fingers together in a way that seemed a little shy. “I hope I'm not interrupting your work...”

“No, it's not a problem,” Saihara replied, placing the bouquet in its appropriate spot and giving Keebo his full attention. “It's never busy here, so... I'm always happy when you pay us a visit.”

At that moment, Ouma suddenly understood.

The laboratory had an obnoxious amount of flowers. A cute florist boy lived down the street. Keebo had told him not to cause trouble here. This was just straight-up obvious and kind of hilarious, if he was being honest.

Saihara noticed Ouma's presence, stepping to the side to get a better view of him. Saihara's eyelashes were absurdly long and cute, Kokichi noted, but didn't bother to say. “Oh, hi. Are you here with Keebo?”

The robot turned to look at the short boy, shooting him a glance that screamed 'don't do anything weird'. Ouma got the message, but didn't necessarily plan on heeding it.

“Yup, I sure am! I'm his best friend of all time!”

Oh no. There he went.

Ouma's shoes pattered softly against the hard floor as he walked over to join them, proudly invading their space. “The name's Kokichi Ouma. And you're Ssssaihara, if I heard right?”

The tallest of the trio hadn't noticed anything off about this, despite the panic threatening to pour right out of Keebo's face. Saihara just smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I'm Shuichi Saihara. It's nice to meet you. Are you new around here?”

“I am!” Ouma declared, and suddenly, he latched on to Keebo's arm. Their arms were linked together now, and Keebo looked ready to explode from sheer panic. “Thank you sooo much for taking care of my dear, sweet Keebo all this time... How could I ever repay you?”

“U-uh?” Saihara stuttered, blinking at the two of them. Ouma could practically see the gears spinning in his head. “There's no need for that, um...”

“K-Kokichi is like my brother-!” Keebo suddenly blurted out, his face a burning red. The fans spinning in his chest were audible, trying desperately to cool him down. “Yes! That's how it is!”

Ouma couldn't help the stupid grin on his face, just kind of staring at them and seeing how this would work out. What a treat, honestly.

Saihara blinked, composure returning to him. “O-oh, is that so? Interesting, I'm surprised I haven't heard of you before.” Ouma almost took that to be some sort of insult, but he couldn't exactly tell what Saihara meant by it. “If you ever need a tour, feel free to ask me. I don't mind driving you two around, since I've got a license.”

The short boy's eyes flicked over to Keebo to see his reaction. He seemed torn between joy at being offered to hang out with Shuichi, but dreading the thought of having to have Ouma around the boy he liked. He looked like he was sweating? Wow. Apparently robots could do that.

Ouma interjected, not giving Keebo the chance to speak. “Wow, really? How could I pass up an offer like that? You're really too kind, Saihara!”

“ _Hey_ ,” Keebo blurted, trying to reclaim the attention he was supposed to have in the first place. Letting Ouma come with him was a mistake. “Umm, I'm glad you are getting along, but- unfortunately I didn't charge well last night, so I have to get going... S-so...” He fidgeted, finally managing to pull from Ouma's death grip and brush himself off. “Could you... um... p-pick some flowers for me...”

“Of course!” Saihara replied, starting towards a rack on the other side of the room. “It's no problem, I just hope you rest well tonight. Maybe over the weekend you'd like to hang out?”

So that's it. Keebo came here constantly just to talk to this guy, and ended up getting flowers every time. He obviously didn't really care much about the flowers, it was the principle of getting them picked out by Saihara and feeling like they were for him... even though he paid for them. Wow. It was kind of pathetic, in Ouma's opinion.

“Yes! I would very much like that!” Keebo beamed, following Saihara like a lost puppy. Ouma latched on to the back of his coat, absolutely refusing to release him, just to be a jerk.

Eventually Saihara picked out a bundle of purple flowers that Ouma couldn't name. He wasn't exactly an expert at plants, and he didn't really want to be. “When these arrived, I thought you might like them. I hope they're alright.”

Keebo looked like he'd been handed the holy grail, eyes glimmering. “S-Saihara, they are wonderful,” he exclaimed, enraptured. Ouma rolled his eyes, not even trying to be subtle about it. “How much are they?”

Saihara smiled at the two of them, clasping his hands together. “It's fine, you can take them. Just don't tell the manager. It's a gift for you and Ouma.”

Looking like he'd been struck by cupid, Keebo's face was a vivid red. “Really? I- you don't have to do that...!”

The tall boy shrugged, pulling his hat a bit further down to obscure his reddening face. “It's no big deal. You spend so much here, it'd be wrong of me to not give a little gift once in a while. Come visit again soon, okay?”

Without giving Keebo any time to sputter out the mushy thanks that was definitely coming, Ouma started dragging him away, despite the protests of the weakling robot.

“Yeah, thanks Saihara! We'll see you later! Don't forget me~” Ouma shot a joking wink in Saihara's direction, pushing the glass door open.

Keebo managed to stutter out, “Saihara! See you! Thank you, thank you-!” before the door shut behind them.

Shuichi Saihara couldn't help his smile as he watched them go, pulling his cap so far forwards that it nearly came off in attempt to cover his pink face. Keebo was adorable. That other guy was... well, he was _something_.

“Ouma!” Keebo shouted when they were out of earshot of the flower shop, tugging out of Kokichi's grasp and giving him the sternest look he could muster. “I told you! I told you not to make a fool out of me! And what did you do?!”

Shrugging, Ouma snickered. “Ni-shi-shi. What _did_ I do? You've got your gay-ass flowers, so what's the problem? You should be on your knees, thanking me!”

The robot took a moment to look at the flowers in his hands, heart filled with a pleasant warmth. “W-well... That had nothing to do with you! That was from the kindness of Saihara's heart! Don't claim that was because of you when all you did was cause trouble!” He huffed, quickening his pace to walk in front of Ouma. “What compelled my father to hire a boy like you? Was it bribery? Did you threaten him?”

“No, I guess I'm just _that_ adorable,” Ouma retorted, hurrying to Keebo's side and grabbing onto his arm again. “I mean, look at me. You totally love me, right?”

“Absolutely _not_!”

They returned to the lab, leisurely and strangely comfortable.

A powerful, intense energy source pulsated within the body next to Ouma, the object of his desire; its presence unbeknownst to him.

 

**Author's Note:**

> hi, i just played ndrv3 and i love keebo so much ;_; sorry if i spelled idabashi wrong a few times.  
> i hope this reads alright... motivation is appreciated...!


End file.
